Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/675

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MACAULAY. 595 MACBETH. penal code, and in continued literarj' labors. Re- turning to England in 1838, he resumed his polit- ical career, being in 18.39 elected a member of Parliament for the city of Edinburgh. Accepting later in the same year a Cabinet position in the ^Iclbourne Jlinistry, he shared its fall in 1841. , In 1842 appeared his magnificent martial ballads, hays of Ancient Rome, and in 1843 three volumes of Essays. Having devoted five years to com- bined literary work and powerful aid to the Whig opposition, he was, on the return of his jiarty to power in 1840, restored to ofiice, this time as Paymaster-General. The loss of his seat in Parliament, however, incurred in 1847 through his too zealous advocacy of religious toleration at an unpopular moment, oflered him at length an opportunity for devoting himself seriously to the work for which he had been planning during several years — his great History of England from the Accession of James II. The first two volumes of the work appeared in 1848, and achieved at once such an extensive and enduring success as had hitherto been the lot of the most popular novelists alone. The year following their appearance he was elected lord rector of the Universitj' of Glasgow, and was offered a position again in the Cabinet under Lord Russell, which latter honor, however, he declined. In 18.55 Edinburgh made such reparation for its slight of 1847 as it could, by returning him un- solicited to his former seat in Parliament. De- clining an offer of the professorship of modern history at Cambridge, he devoted himself more assiduously to the writing of his History. The appearance of the third and fourth volumes in 1855 created a furor of excitement among pub- lishers and readers. In the United States their sale exceeded that of almost every book except the Bible. In 1857 the Fi'ench Academy of Moral and Political Science made him a foreign associate: and in the course of the same year he was raised to the peerage of Great Britain under the title of Baron Macaulay of Rothley. But ill health, in- terrupting his work as early as 1852. had by 1857 made serious inroads upon his physical strength. He died rather suddenly on December 28. 1859, at Holly Lodge, a quiet retreat to which he had re- tired in 1857. His premature death left uncom- pleted his great History, which extended only through the period of William III. when its author's work ended. Macaulay was indisputably a man of splendid talent. His scholarship — in the strictly classical sense of the term — was admirable; his miscel- laneous literary acquisitions were something pro- digious; his knowledge of modern European, and especially of English, history from the age of Henry VIII. down to his own, was unsurpassed. While his History will always be read on ac- count of its wonderful style, there can be no doubt of its partiality and exaggeration. More- over, Macaulay indulged in his passion for epi- gram at the expense of truth ; and his History has been justly termed a "huge Whig pamphlet." The only complete edition of Macaulay's works is that published by his sister. Lady Trevelyan (London, ISfifi) ; the chief authority on his life is Trevelyan, Life and Letters of Lord .Ua- caiilay (London, 1876, and Xew York. 1877). Considerable useful material may be found in Arnold. Public Life of Lord Macaulay (London, 1862). and Milman's Life prefixed to vol. viii. of History of England (London, 1858-62). MACATJLEY, Cathaki.ne E. (I787-I841). An lri,h philanthropist. Adopted by a wealthy family, she received a considerable fortune, with which in 1827 she founded 'The House of Our Blessed Lady of Mercy,' devoted to the care of the sick. She later became superior of the Order of the Sisters of ilercy, to which the Dublin in- stitution gave rise, and which spread through Europe and America. McAULEY, m'ka'li, 'Jerry,' or Jeremiah (1839-84). A lay revivalist. He was born in Ireland, came when a bo.v of thirteen to Xew York, and grew up as a criminal. On a false charge of highway robbery he was sent to Sing Sing prison (1857), but he was pardoned (1804), and re- lapsed into evil ways. In 1872 he was converted and from then till his death (September 18,1884) he spent his energies in successful efforts to eon- vert otliers and by choice those who were so de- graded that few would deal with them. The first scene of his labors was in Water Street, Xew York City, but in 1882 he opened the mission on West Thirty-second Street which now bears his name, 'The .Jerry Mc.Vuley Cremorne Mis- sion.' Consult his Life bv Offord (Xew York, 1885). MACAW (Brazilian »iac((o). One of the large strong-flying and gaudy South American parrots of the group Arinte. known locally as araras. They are distinguished by the very long wedge-shaped tail, long and pointed wings, large strong feet, naked cheeks, and short, very strong, highly arched bill. They do not readily learn to articulate words, but are easily domesticated, and become much attached to those with whom they are well acquainted. Their natural notes are hoarse and piercing screams; and as they cannot be taught not to scream, they are often unpleasant captives. They are more or less gregarious, and a flock of macaws seen in bright sunshine is wonderfully brilliant. The.v lay their eggs, generally two, in the hollows of de- cayed trees; feed chiefly on fruits and seeds; and often commit great depredations on fields of maize. In domestication, macaws readily eat bread, sugar, etc. The great scarlet macaw {Ara coccinea) is sometimes more than three feet in length including the long tail. The red and yellow green-winged macaw (.l)-o chlorop- tera) and the green macaw {Ara nobilis) are rather smaller. These are among the best-known of a large number of species. Compare Parra- KEETS. See Plate of Cockatoos and Macaws. MACAW TKEE (Acrocomia sclerocarpa). A palm of the same tribe with the cocoanut, a na- tive of tropical and sub-tropical America, called macoya in Guiana, and macahuba in Brazil. It is from 20 to 30 feet high, with pinnated leaves, from 10 to 15 feet long. The fruit yields a sweetish yellow violet-scented oil. of the con- sistence of butter, used where the tree is in- digenous as an emollient in painful affections of the joints, and in rheumatism. It is largely ex- ported as palm oil, for use in the manufacture of toilet-soaps. The leaves yield a fibre character- ized by its remarkable fineness and softness. The tree is cultivated to some extent as an ornamental in southern California. MAQAYO, mii-sa'yo. A city of Brazil. See Maceio. MACBETH' (?-10.57). A king of Scotland. From his father, Finlay, he inherited the rule